Farewell, My Love
by muffiekun
Summary: I thought you were dead, but you're not. The pain I felt then is nothing compared to the pain I feel now. You may work with my enemy, but there is a feeling buried deep within my heart. A feeling I can't ignore. Finale to Goodbye, My Friend.
1. And So It Begins

**This is it, the beginning of the end. The romance part won't really be there until the end of the story so… Well anyway, you don't really need to read the other two in the series but it would **_**really**_** help if you did. The finale will begin…after the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Zelda, it's owned by Nintendo.**

* * *

The sun was setting over Dragon Roost Island. The Rito were going around doing their everyday business, and Medli was at her spot, playing her harp. Link docked the King of Red Lions on the island and got off.

"Now Link," the King said, "You must find the sage of earth to restore the Master Sword. Are you absolutely sure the sage is on this island?"

Link nodded his head. "Medli is the sage, I'm sure of it. The harp she carries around matches the one Laruto has."

"Okay then Link," King said, "But hurry, Ganondorf's evil is spreading even as we speak."

Link nodded again and started climbing Dragon Roost. He set off to find Medli, using only the sound of her harp to guide his way. He passed many of the Rito who gave their greetings to him, but Link drowned them out of his ears, only hearing Medli's song. It was getting louder, increasing its volume with each step he took. He looked around, and saw Medli on top of the balcony. Link ran to greet her, when he fell in the gap between the platforms. Seeing this, Medli dropped her harp and flew as fast as she could to catch him. She caught him just in time.

"Link you idiot!" Medli shouted, "You almost killed yourself! Why didn't you watch where you're going?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry." Link said.

Medli sighed. "Well, at least you're okay."

"I'm glad I'm okay too."

Medli flew over to the beach and dropped Link off on it. She landed gracefully next to him. "So what brings you to this island on this wonderful day?" she asked.

"Well," Link said, "You know how I borrowed Din's Pearl to save the Great Sea right?"

"Yeah," Medli answered.

"Well, the pearl led me to an underwater land called Hyrule and I found this sword," Link gestured toward his back, "But the sword doesn't have its full power and I need the powers of two sages to restore the Master Sword to its true power."

"So you think this sage might be on this island?" Medli inquired, "Or are you just here to visit?"

"Well, I was hoping that…" Link started.

"Hoping that what?"

"Well…" Link reached into his pocket to pull out the Wind Waker, but when his hand came out he was holding a Helmeroc Plume instead.

"Ahhh!" Medli exclaimed, "Th-that's a Helmeroc Plume!" Medli calmed down. "I'm sorry, it's just that all Rito girls go crazy for this kind of thing. You must've gotten it for someone else. Come to think of it, one of the Rito on this island have been looking for one of those…"

"Medli," Link said, "I-I didn't get that to help out a Rito with his relationship problems. I got it for you because I, because I love you!" Link shut his mouth suddenly. "I-I'm sorry Medli. The words, the words just sort of slipped out! I'm, I'm sorry, I promise I won't say anything like that agai-"

Medli put her fingers on his lips. "Don't worry Link," she said. "I love you too."

"Y-you do?" Link stammered.

"I do…" Medli moved closer to Link and Link did the same. Link clutched her hand and parted his lips. He closed his eyes as their lips got closer…

And closer…

And closer…

When Link felt a warm liquid on his hands. Link quickly opened his eyes and saw blood covering his hands. A crimson flower bloomed upon Medli's chest. "L-Link…" Medli said as she collapsed.

The scene around Link changed instantly. Fire engulfed the island, dead Rito strewn across the ground. Off in the distance Link saw Tetra. Link ran towards her but each step distorted her image, changing her into something else. Tetra smiled sadly as her face morphed into Zelda, and then she morphed into Ganondorf. Ganondorf grabbed Link's throat.

"You truly are the Hero of Time," Gonondorf said as shadow engulfed him, "reincarnate."

Ganondorf's body melted away and revealed Shadowlink.

"NOOOOO!!"

Link opened his eyes. Shadowlink was gone, along with the burning island. Link saw that he was on Bomb Island, a silhouette of Forest Haven in the distance. Link let out a breath. Zelda ran over to Link, sword at the ready. "Link! Are you okay?" she shouted.

Link nodded. "Yeah, it was only a dream. A nightmare."

Zelda sheathed her sword. "Again? You've been having these nightmares ever since Dragon Roost. Is there something wrong, Link?"

"No, well, yes." Link said. "Ever since Medli…you know…I've been having the same kind of dreams." Zelda nodded her head to show that she was listening. "It always starts off peaceful, then Medli appears, and then there's Shadowlink."

"Does anything else happen?" Zelda asked.

"Well, before Shadowlink appears," Link said, "Medli and I…sorta…well, um, we-"

"Ya kiss?" Zelda finished.

Link blushed. "Well, yeah. But before that, we tell each other that we love each other. I don't know why we do, I know that I never felt anything _close_ to love when I was around her, so why am I having these kinds of feelings all of a sudden?"

"I'm not some kind of love doctor or anything," Zelda said, "But I think you just never realized your feelings for her until she was gone."

"But that's the point Zelda!" Link said, "If she's dead then what's the whole point of these damn feelings!"

An awkward silence followed. The sun started to rise. "First of all," Zelda whispered, breaking the silence, "My name is not Zelda. It's Tetra. Just because I look like a stupid frilly princess, doesn't mean I'm not a fearsome pirate captain anymore. And second," She paused, "And second of all, you need to put your feelings for Medli aside. She's dead now, there's no bringing her back. It'll only get in the way of stopping Shadowlink."

"You're right," Link said, "But just because she's dead it doesn't mean I'll ever forget about her. I know that if she's alive she'll never forget about me."

Zelda shook her head. "Fine, do whatever you want, it's not my problem." She started walking to the King of Red Lions. "Hurry up and get on the boat. If we start sailing now we can reach Forest Haven by midday."

Link smiled and grabbed his things. "Aye, aye, captain. Oh, and Tetra."

"Yeah Link?"

"Sorry for calling you Zelda."

Zelda smiled. "Forget about it squirt."

--

The sun was high above Link and Zelda as they arrived on the shore of Forest Haven. The first thing they noticed was that the water flow coming from the island was thinner than before. "King?" Link asked, "What's going on with the water?"

"I do not know young hero," the King said, "But I advise you to hurry and retrieve the pearl."

Link nodded and ran off. "Hold it!" Zelda yelled, stopping Link in his tracks. "Before we go charging in there, you mind telling us exactly how to get the pearl?"

The King shook his head. "That is something you must figure out for yourselves."

"What!" Zelda screamed, "You knew who and what Shadowlink was and you're telling me you can't explain how to get a simple pearl!?"

"Exactly." King said.

"Then how'd you get Nayru's pearl then?" Zelda inquired.

"The last Zora." King said simply.

"What?"

"But that is a story for another day." King continued. "For right now, you and Link must see the Great Deku Tree."

"But-" Zelda protested.

"Tetra," Link said, "Let's just hurry up, okay? We'll figure out what to do _after_ we see the Great Deku Tree."

"Fine," Zelda said, "But I don't see why-" An arrow cut through the air and hit Zelda in her stomach. "Gah!" Zelda fainted.

"Tetra?" Link shouted. "Tetra!" Another arrow cut through the air and hit Link in the side. Link fell to the ground, losing consciousness. Before he blacked out, he thought he saw a glistening harp, then the sound of bells…

--

Link awoke on a leaf bed in the forest. He saw a firefly hover in front of his face, then fly away. "Link!" a voice jingled, "You're okay!"

Link looked around and saw a Korok dancing in front of him. "Makar?" Link said, "What happened?"

"I found you on the beach!" he jingled, "And I got the other Koroks to help me bring you and that girl here!"

"Tetra!" Link said, "Is she okay?"

"Don't worry!" Makar said, "We healed her, and your wounds with the last of our Forest Water."

Link checked his side and saw that his wound was gone. Then a thought struck him. "Why are all the Koroks here? It's not that time of the year yet. And what do you mean 'the last of the Forest Water?'"

"Well…" Makar hesitated, "You see, Forest Haven is having some problems. The Great Deku Tree is dying, along with the whole forest."

* * *

**Cliffhangers. Gotta hate them right? I'm not sure how to spell 'Korok' so excuse me if I got it wrong. And I tried a bit of foreshadowing. Wonder how that'll work out?**


	2. The Death of the Deku Tree

**And we have an update! It's about time too, isn't it? I'm trying out some more foreshadowing by giving a few 'hints' towards the grand finale. But you still won't ever guess what'll happen at the end. Anyways, here's chappie 2!**

**Disclaimer****: I OWN ZELDA! In an alternate universe. Where Nintendo doesn't exist. Dangit, I don't own Zelda after all…**

* * *

"What do you mean the Deku Tree is dying!?" Link shouted.

Makar sighed. "I mean what I said. I don't like it any better than you do, but he _is_ dying."

"But why?" Link asked, "How?"

"I don't know," Makar replied, "But I do know that he started feeling really sick yesterday. We Koroks rushed over as soon as we can, but we only got here soon enough to slow down the Deku Tree's death."

"I see…" Link said. "But is he well enough to speak to us?"

"He is sleeping at the moment, but he's sure to wake up in a few hours. You should get some more rest before you see him."

"I should. But could I see Zelda before I sleep?" Link asked. Someone threw a clod of dirt in Link's face. Link wiped some of it off. "Who did that!?"

"I told you not to call me that earlier." Zelda walked over to Link's bed and put another handful of dirt in his face. "My name's Tetra! Call me Zelda again and I'll put something worse on your face."

Link wiped the dirt off again. "It's good to see that you're okay Tetra."

Zelda dumped one more clod of dirt on his face. "Good to see that some dirt got in your mouth." Startled, Link quickly started spitting up on the ground. "Geez Link," Zelda said, "I was only kidding! No need for you to spit everywhere!" Link put an embarrassed look on his face and settled down. "That's better. Now go get some sleep. I'll be on the bed a few yards away from you."

Link nodded his head. "See you in a few hours."

"Yeah, yeah, save the pleasantries for your grandma." Zelda winked. "Good night, Link."

"Night, Tetra."

--

Medli was playing her harp again. She had a sad look on her face as Link looked at her from afar. Link kept running toward her, but no matter how fast he went, Medli never seemed to get any closer. Link mouthed three words, and Medli mouthed the same words back. Then a dark sword cut through her and she fell to ground, dead. Link screamed cries of protest, but there was no one wielding the sword. Link drew his blade and charged at the invisible assailant, but cut through nothing but air.

Behind him, Link's shadow slowly grew until it was large enough to overtake Link. Shadow corroded Link's vision, and when Link was able to see again, he was holding a dark sword, and Medli's body lay at his feet. Confused, he dropped the dark blade and ran away from Medli's body when he started sinking. Around him was a pool of blood, threatening to drown Link in its depths. When Link was down under, he looked at his image reflected above. His reflection was nothing but a shadow version of himself, and the words the shadow said took hold of Link flooding his ears.

"Say goodbye to the light, and live in darkness for eternity…"

--

"Oy, Link! Wake up!" A voice said.

"Do you think he's all right?" Another voice jingled.

"Of course he's all right. He's the Hero of Winds for goddesses sake!"

A sharp sting of pain hit Link's face.

"Um, Miss Tetra?" The jingly voice said. "I don't think slapping him is gonna work."

"What are you talking about? Of course it'll work!" Link's eyes opened slowly as he felt another sting on his face. "See," Zelda said, "What'd I tell you Makar? Slapping always wakes someone up!"

"What's going on?" Link asked groggily.

"Not all the time." Makar replied, "I tried slapping this one guy who was sleeping on a high branch. He didn't wake up until a swarm of Chu-Chus attacked him."

"That's only because you don't slap hard enough." Tetra grabbed Link. "Besides, slapping doesn't completely wake someone up, Link's still sleepy-eyed." She started shaking him. "Shaking always works best!"

"What's going on!?" Link yelled as he was being shaked.

"See," Zelda said, "Fully awake." She dropped him. "Now, how's our little hero this morning?"

"Dizzy." Link said. "Now could someone please tell me why Tetra was shaking me like a rattle?"

"Well, um," Makar said, "You were talking in your sleep."

"So?" Link asked, "Aryll snores and I don't see a problem in that."

"Well," Makar said again, "It wasn't really the fact that you were talking that was the problem, it was the things you were saying."

"What was I saying?" Link asked.

"Well, um, I don't know how to put this but…" Makar hesitated.

"But what?" Link said.

"Um…"

"Goddesses!" Zelda yelled, "Just say it already!"

"Well…"

"You were yelling about killing somebody and then you screamed loud enough to wake the whole island." Zelda finished.

"I thought I was gonna tell him." Makar said.

Zelda shrugged. "Well you took too long."

"Did I really scream that loud?" Link asked.

"No," Makar said, "Only loud enough to wake about half the island."

"That helps…" Link said sarcastically.

"Anyways," Zelda said, "What was that dream about?"

"The same thing as the last ones," Link said, "But this one seemed…I dunno, more real."

"That's interesting," Zelda said, "Link, have you ever considered that you have the power to make prophecies with your dreams?"

"What?" Link said, "Making prophecies with dreams? How is that even possible?"

"Well," Zelda said, "I read somewhere, don't ask me where, that a long time ago, before the Great Flood, a few people were able to create prophecies using dreams. One of those people was a descendant of the Hyrule Royal Family, which means my ancestors have that power."

"So?" Link asked.

"Well, if my ancestors had that power, why couldn't yours?

"For one thing," Link said, "If I had some sort of prophetic power, I'd turn into Shadowlink or something. And second, my dreams always have Medli in them, so if she's already dead, how can she be in the future?"

Zelda shrugged again. "It was just an idea. Maybe you just drink too much of your Grandma's soup or something."

"Um, can I cut in?" Makar jingled.

"Yeah, go ahead, woody," Zelda said, "I'm done talking."

"Well, it's just that, the Deku Tree is waking up."

--

The Deku Tree looked horrible. Its branches were gnarled and its leaves were withered. The plants around the Deku Tree were in the same state the Deku Tree was in, withered and dying. It looked like the Deku Tree was struggling to stay awake. Link, Zelda, and Makar entered as the other Koroks were playing their instruments.

"What are they doing?" Link asked Makar.

"Well, the only way we could arouse the Deku Tree from its sleep is if we play him our songs." Makar explained.

"Hm," Zelda said, "It looks like the Deku Tree will kick the bucket anytime soon."

"Don't say that!" Makar said, "If the Great Deku Tree dies, the forest will die along with it!"

"Sorry," Zelda said, "I'm just pointing out the obvious."

Link ignored Zelda and Makar and walked straight to the lily pad to talk to the tree.

"Young Hero of Time?" the Deku Tree said in the ancient language, "Is that you?"

"What?" Link said, "It's me, Link."

The Deku Tree shook his head and spoke. "I apologize young Hero of Winds, I thought you were someone else, so some ancient Hylian slipped out of me. What is it you wish to ask about? You must hurry, for I'm afraid my time is short in this world."

"Well," Link started, "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Farore's Pearl."

"It is a pearl passed down by the Koroks that contains the goddess Farore's power."

"I already know that," Link said hurriedly, "But do you know how I can find the pearls again."

"Didn't I already give you the pearl?" the Deku Tree asked.

"Yes," Link answered, "But it's gone, and now it's somewhere on this island."

"Did you not offer it to the goddesses, young hero?"

"_Yes_," Link said, "But I need it again, to banish evil from the Great Sea."

"Then I'm afraid I can not help you."

"What!?" Zelda shouted, "What do you mean you can't help us!?"

"Is that the Hylian princess Zelda I see?" the Deku Tree said, "What brings you here?"

"To find Farore's Pearl!" Zelda shouted.

"Hmm, I cannot help you." The Deku Tree said.

"Why not!?" Zelda yelled.

"The pearl is lost forever, and I can never raise it again."

"Great," Zelda said, "That's our last hope through the window."

"However," the Deku Tree continued, "The pearl will show itself to a Korok with great courage."

"Why didn't you say so?" Zelda said, "Now all we need to do is see if any of these jingly weirdoes has any courage."

"Thank you." Link said as he was about to step off the pad.

"Wait young hero," the Deku Tree said. "Before I must sleep again, I must tell you something."

"Yes?" Link asked, "What is it?"

"The one who put this sickness upon me is one who looks like you. One who lived a life of shadow."

"Shadowlink." Link said under his breath.

"Now I shall die soon," the Deku Tree stated, "But when I'm gone, promise me one thing."

"What?"

"When you confront your shadows, face them without fear or malice."

"What do you mean _my_ shadows?" Link shouted.

"Farewell, young hero."

"Wait. Wait!"

The Deku Tree closed his eyes and fell to sleep for the last time.

"He's dead." Zelda said.

"Oh no." Makar said. "This is not good."

"I know this is hard for you," Zelda said, "But just keep on living."

"But we can't!" Makar said, "Without the Deku Tree's spirit, we'll die in a few hours!"

"Oh," Zelda said, "Well that's inconvenient."

"Tetra!" Link shouted, "'Inconvenient?' There gonna _die_."

"It's inconvenient because we only have a few hours to find the pearl." Zelda said simply.

"How can you be so uncaring?" Link asked.

"Because I knew their lives were over hours ago," Zelda said, "I've already cried about that."

"Aw, who knew the pretty princess could _cry_?" a voice said.

Link, Zelda, and Makar looked around to see the source of the voice, when a shadow stepped out from behind the Deku Tree.

"Oh _crap_." Zelda said.

"Crap indeed," Shadowlink said, "Because this time, I'm not letting you get away."

* * *

**And so the battle begins! Well, it won't really be a battle, more of a chase. Wait, why am I spoiling things for you? Read it yourself in the next chapter!**


	3. The Fires of the Past

My goddamn computer turned itself off 500 words into this chapter. Luckily 300 words survived. I'm sleepy…

**Disclaimer****: Anything that dies, gets injured, or burns belong to Nintendo. I take no responsibility for their actions…**

* * *

Shadowlink was as menacing as ever. His dark sword was out, and a look of pure malice filled his eyes. He was staring at Link and Zelda, and only showed mild interest in the Koroks. "So, I guess this will be the end then." He said.

Link and Zelda drew their weapons, and Makar blended into the background, scared. "We're not scared of you," Link told him, "This time I'll beat you."

"Hmm," Shadow hmmed, "You're statement doesn't really make that much sense. If you _all_ weren't scared, then the little wooden freak wouldn't be trying to hide from me."

Makar gave out a whimper of fear and hid behind Zelda. "Leave the wooden freak out of this," Zelda said, "He's not part of this battle."

"On the contrary, princess," Shadow said coolly, "This battle is being fought for the little pipsqueak's survival." Before Link or Zelda could respond to that, Shadow lunged at them and stabbed with his sword. Zelda jumped back from the blade and Link preformed a shoulder roll and took Makar out of the blade's path. Link hastily put Makar down and attacked Shadow. Zelda joined him. Together they unleashed a flurry of blows to Shadow, but none of them seemed to land properly. "Oh come on," Shadowlink taunted, "You kids could do better than that!"

"We will!" Link charged at Shadow and performed a jump-slash. Shadow swiftly blocked it and proceeded to unleash a deadly counterattack upon him. Link narrowly blocked it with a powerful slash of his own. Sparks flew, scattering over the area, smoking on the ground. Using the sword's momentum, Link skillfully used his sword to jump high above Shadow. While Shadow was about to knock Link out of the sky, Zelda quickly unleashed a volley of Light Arrows upon him. While he was stunned, Link delivered a powerful blow to Shadow's head and Shadow dropped to the ground, clutching his injury. Slowly, Shadow took his hand off the wound and, to his surprise, found himself bleeding.

He laughed.

"Heh heh heh," Shadow laughed, "Who knew such kids would be able to deliver a blow that would be fatal to any normal human." He licked the blood off his hand. "Mmmm, the taste of my own blood makes me hungry to shed another's." As quick as a rampaging cucco, Shadow grabbed hold of Makar and put his sword to where Makar's throat would be. "I wonder if Korok blood tastes any differently from the blood of your little sister, or of Rito girl I killed when she so stupidly sacrificed herself to save a bunch of brats…"

Enraged, Link tried to attack Shadow with everything he had, but Zelda held him back. "Let go of me!" Link yelled at Zelda, "Nobody talks about Medli or Aryll that way! Let me go! I want to hurt him, I want to _kill_ him!"

"No Link!" Zelda shouted, "If you attack you might get Makar killed!"

"Listen to the princess, boy," Shadow said, "You don't want my blade to accidentally slip do you?" He made a small cut on Makar, and green blood flowed out. "Whoops, how clumsy am I?"

"Damn you," Link cursed at him, "Why don't you just die and go to hell!"

"Because I can never rest," Shadow said quietly, "Until I fulfill my desire for revenge…"

"Um, sir?" Makar jingled, "Could you please let me go? Please?" Makar was shaking uncontrollably.

"If you were a Kokiri," Shadow mumbled, "And not some pathetic reincarnation of them, then maybe I would've let you go unharmed." He tasted some of Makar's blood. "But sadly, you're not."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a single arrow flew from the treetops and plunged into Shadow's side. Surprised, Shadow let go of Makar and Makar ran over to Link and Zelda. "Stupid girl," Shadow said under his breath, "I told her to stay out of the way." He stood up clutching the wound in his side and wiped some of the blood off his face. "Playtime's over kiddies, the end has come for you." Shadow unleashed a wave of magic onto the smoldering sparks. The sparks suddenly flared and engulfed the greenery near it. The flames licked the grass and caressed the Deku Tree. The flames quickly spread throughout the forest, and the final screams of the Korok's we're heard around the forest, then only the sound of the roaring flames remained. The only area that was left untouched was the area Shadow, Link, Zelda, and Makar were standing in. Shadow put one of his hands lovingly into the blaze. "It begun in flames, and so it shall end the same way," He said to himself enigmatically. Link, Zelda, and Makar tried to find a way though the flames, but there were no openings. "Don't bother," Shadow said, "This is the end for you. The smoke will knock the Triforce bearers out, and the flames will devour the leafy one. Checkmate."

Unable to find a way out, Link and Zelda slumped to the ground, defeated. "I can't believe this," Zelda cried, "All that we've been through, all that has happened to us, it all ends here."

"I can't believe we've failed," Link said miserably, "The Great Sea's doomed now."

"You're wrong." Makar stood up. "This isn't the end," Makar jingled, "You shouldn't give up."

"But there's no way out." Zelda said, "It's over, we're trapped."

Makar shook his head. "If I learned one thing from meeting you guys." The cut on his neck faded. "It was that…" Green wisps of light surrounded him. "To never give up." The green light shone brightly now, it's brilliance surrounded Makar with a godlike energy.

"I guess it's not over," Shadow said quietly, "The game goes on." The green aura surrounding Makar quickly formed an energy blade, and a ghostly silhouette appeared behind Makar. Shadow looked at her with interest. "Hello Saria, how are things going?"

The apparition smiled. "I'm still waiting for you to come back you know," she said, "You haven't fulfilled your promise to me yet."

Shadow smiled. "So the goddesses think that if I see you again, then I'll give up peacefully?"

"Will you give up?" Saria asked, "For me?"

Shadow shook his head. "I'm sorry Saria, but I can't turn back now."

Saria smiled a sad smile. "Then I must do what I have to." Saria glided over to Link and Zelda, who were watching confused. "I believe you were looking for this." A flash of light, and a green pearl appeared in Link's hands.

"F-Farore's pearl?" Link stuttered, "But how?"

"Makar showed true courage by refusing to give up." She turned to Shadow. "Now I must do what I can to preserve what little hope there is for this land." She waved her hand and opened a path in the flames. "Now go young Hero of Winds, and please save Shadow's soul."

"Wait!" Link cried as he was pushed through the opening. "Who are you?"

Saria smiled again. "No one but the Sage of the Forest." The opening closed. Saria walked over to Makar. "Are you ready to fight, young Korok?"

Makar nodded.

"Saria?" Shadow said gently, "Is there any way I can convince you not to do this?"

A single tear formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry Link, I must try and stop you."

Shadow sighed. "So be it."

--

Link was running. He was trying not to think about the raging inferno, trying not to think about the deaths that just occurred. All he was thinking about was getting to safety, along with Zelda. They ran as fast as they could through the forest, avoiding falling branches and keeping the pearl locked in his grip. Zelda was far ahead of him, almost through the forest, when Link tripped. Farore's pearl slipped through his fingers and landed a few inches away from him. Link crouched down to retrieve it, when the path in front of him caved in.

When Link got back up, Zelda was already out of the forest. In other words, he was trapped. He looked around quickly for a way out, when he saw something he thought he'd never see again.

A Rito girl holding a bow and arrow. The girl saw Link looking at her, and when Link was about to say something, he was interrupted.

"Oy Link!" Zelda shouted, "Get your ass over here!"

Link turned his head to look at Zelda, then turned it back to where the girl was. _I must've imagined her, _Link thought, _She's dead, Right?_

"Link! Hurry up!"

Link ran over to the crevice and tried to find a way over. He got an idea. Link equipped his grappling hook and prepared to throw it.

"What are you doing!?" Zelda yelled.

"Tetra!" Link shouted, "When I throw this thing over, I want you to catch it!"

"What!?"

"Just do it!" Link took a breath, then coughed because of the smoke. "Ready?"

"Just throw the damn thing!" Link threw, Zelda caught. Link jumped as far as he can then climbed up the rope Zelda was holding. Zelda dropped the hook on him. "Are we going or what?" She put her hand out. Link took it, and ran with her back to the King of Red Lions.

--

Shadow was on his way back to the ship. His encounter with Saria had shaken him, and he was tired. _Maybe it's time, _he thought, _that I killed that Rito boy…_

The girl came flying behind him. "There you are," Shadow said, "Now did you really have to shoot me?"

"I don't want to see anyone else die." She said.

"Well that was pointless since I basically killed everyone on this island." He laughed. "I never knew you could fire an arrow that well! You should be a sniper!"

The girl shuddered. "I don't like to kill."

"You lousy hypocrite." Shadow said. "So, you remember anyone?"

She hesitated. "N-no, I don't recognize any of them." _Except the boy with the green hat,_ she added silently.

Shadow smiled. "It's good to see that you put your past behind you, Medli."

* * *

**I have, once again, changed Shadow's name. First it was 'Shadow Link,' then it was 'Shadowlink,' and now it's just 'Shadow.' I'm indecisive aren't I? I wish Makar had more dialogue but, oh well, the story didn't need it. Makar's line sounded kinda cheesy though.**


	4. Deja vu

**This chapter starts a short, two chapter filler arc. At least, I hope it's only two chapters. So go on and read. I SAID READ U FOOLZ!**

**Disclaimer****: Guess what goes here and I'll reward you with a bunch of words.**

* * *

Link and Zelda sailed all day and all night. They couldn't rest until they were certain that Shadow wouldn't find them, certain they could afford to rest. They didn't know where they were going, all they could think about was getting away from the blazing inferno behind them. Eventually, the burning island disappeared behind the horizon, and all the two young heroes could do was sigh in relief. But their relief didn't last long, as they wandered into uncharted territory, the sea beyond the sea.

Zelda looked at the sea chart. "Where the hell are we?" She finally said after she a few minutes.

Link shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention to where we were going, only to what we were running away from."

Zelda turned to the King of Red Lions. "What about you, kingsy?" she asked, "Do you have any idea where we went?"

The king shook his head. "I do not steer myself, it was you who steered me."

"Great," Zelda said sarcastically, "We're lost."

Link was examining Farore's pearl. "Maybe the pearl could help us somehow."

Zelda laughed bitterly. "Do you really think the pear would stand up and give us directions?" Link's look faltered. "That's what I thought." She sighed. "Maybe we should sleep now, it's already past midnight."

"But is it safe to sleep on the boat?" Link asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"It's only one night, Link," Zelda said, "What's the worst that can happen?"

Link smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He lay down on the floor. "Night, Tetra."

"Night, squirt." Zelda joined him.

That night, the sea turned red, and a ghostly fog devoured the small boat…

--

Zelda woke up on a familiar deck. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, she was in a comfortable bed, wait, there wasn't a bed before! Zelda quickly got out of the bed and looked around. She was on the deck of her old pirate ship, not on the King of Red Lions.

"What the hell's going on here!?" Zelda cursed under her breath. She walked around cautiously, trying to find any signs of Link or the King, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Oy! Miss Tetra!" Zelda jumped around at the noise and saw someone she thought she'd never see again. Her old crew. They all ran towards her but Niko got to her first. "Are you okay miss?" Niko asked.

Zelda drew her blade. "You're not Niko, you're not my crew," she said menacingly, "Even if you are my crew, you wouldn't recognize me in this frilly body."

"What are you talking about Miss Tetra?" Gonzo asked, "You look like you always do." Zelda took a quick look at herself and discovered that Gonzo, if he really was Gonzo, was right. She was Zelda no more but Tetra once again.

Tetra shook her head disbelievingly. "No, this can't be true." Tetra muttered. "It must be some trick of Shadow's or-or maybe I'm hallucinating or dreaming or,"

"Tetra, dear," a soft voice said, "It's time for breakfast." A tall woman flowing blonde hair stepped onto deck and waved at Tetra.

Tetra dropped her sword. Slowly, she walked over to the woman, too shocked to say anything. Finally, she did. "M-mother," she said quietly, "Is that, is that really you?"

"Of course it's me silly," Tetra's mother said, "Who else would I be?" Tetra collapsed in her mother's arms. "Tetra, honey? Are you okay?"

"Erm," Gonzo interrupted, "Miss Clarisse? Should we leave you two alone or something?"

Clarisse shook her head. "That's okay, go about your business." The pirates saluted and went back to their business.

"Oh, mother," Tetra cried, "Where did you go?"

"I didn't go anywhere," Clarisse said, "But I can always stay with you if you want me too."

Suddenly, Tetra knew that this wasn't a trick, that it wasn't a dream. Her mother's warm touch and her glowing smile seemed too real to be a dream.

Besides, if it was a dream, everyone would have been dead by now.

--

Link was on Outset Island with his grandmother and Aryll, everything was tranquil, and everything was peaceful. He didn't bother looking for Zelda or the King of Red Lions, content with watching his sister play. Link didn't question the serenity of it all.

This was how his nightmares always started.

Absentmindedly, Link began to wonder when the peace will end, when the true nightmare begins. He thought about how bloody it might be and where Shadow would come in. He thought he'd be used to the dream by now, but he knew he'd always scream in the end. But this dream seemed different. Maybe it was because he was aware that he was dreaming.

Aryll's shouts broke him out of his trance. "Big brother! Grandma wants you to go into the house, she said a friend came to visit!"

_A friend huh?_ Link thought. _I wonder if this 'friend' will end up dying._

Link silently walked to his house, where his 'friend' would be waiting for him. But then Orca asked him for some help. Link hesitated for a moment, then helped him out anyway. _I'm probably gonna end up seeing him dead, that's how this nightmare always works._

After helping Orca out with his errands, Link trudged back to his house when Aryll yelled at him from the watchtower. "Don't forget to take your gear off big brother!" she yelled. Link complied and proceeded to enter his house.

When Link entered his grandma was nowhere to be found. Link half expected Shadow to come around the corner, bur he didn't. "Link," Grandma's voice called from the second floor, "Could you come up here for a second? One of your little friends came to see you!"

Link frowned. This all felt familiar to him, familiar enough so that Link already knew who would be waiting for him. When he reached the second floor, his assumption had been correct.

"Link!" Cried a voice that Link expected, but never got over. Medli quickly ran over to Link and helped him up.

"Medli," Link said flatly, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you of course!" Medli replied. "I really missed you."

"I'll just leave you two kids alone," Link's grandma said as she climbed down the ladder.

"So," Link said in his flat tone of voice, "How's it going?"

"Oh, nothing new," the Rito girl answered, "Well, Komali has grown up a bit, and Valoo has been sitting on top of the mountain as usual."

"That's nice," Link continued flatly, "All that's happened here was that I gave Aryll her telescope back then help the people here out with some of their chores."

"Okay then."

Silence passed between them.

"Hey, um, Link?" Medli asked.

"Yeah, Medli?"

"Are you okay? Did I do something to make you mad?" Medli bit her lip.

_Other than get yourself killed?_ "No, I'm okay."

"Okay." Medli hesitated, "Link, you know you can tell me anything, right? And I won't hide things from you either, right?"

"I know." _That's why you kidnapped Aryll behind my back, sacrificed yourself to save me and Tetra, and somehow mysteriously appear in Forest Haven,_ he added silently.

"Well," Medli started, "The reason I came here was to tell you that, well…"

Link put up his hand. "I know why you're here," Link said, "You're here to tell me you love me, right?" Medli looked shocked. "We've been through this before, now all that I have to go through is the bloodshed then this nightmare should be over."

"Nightmare?" Medli asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Let's just get this over with." Before Medli could say anything, Link walked up to her and kissed her right on the lips. Link waited for something to happen, for the ground to melt or for a blade to stab him. What came next caught Link off guard.

Medli was kissing him back.

All of a sudden, Link knew it wasn't a dream, and as soon as the realization hit him, he didn't want the kiss to end. Link grasped her tightly and kissed her furiously. Medli was surprised at the force of Link's kiss, but quickly imitated him, kissing him harder. The kiss soon turned passionate, and they were soon on the floor, tracing the inside of each other's mouths with their tongues.

Link didn't care that his Grandma might've been able to hear him, didn't care what Aryll's reaction would be if she saw them intertwined in each other's arms. The only thing that mattered to him was himself, Medli, and the kiss they were sharing. He only cared about the blissful oblivion he was immersed in.

He didn't even care about Shadow anymore.

--

The King of Red Lions was floating on the Great Sea. He was deeply worried about the condition the two children were in. Ever since the fog rolled in and the water turned into an unnatural shade of red, he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't coming out of the fog alive. The only thing that was giving him any hope was Farore's and Nayru's pearl casting a gentle light on the two children.

He hoped they wouldn't lose sight of reality.

* * *

**I wrote the romance part of the story. Not the entire romance part though. That is the first time I have written a kiss as descriptively as that one, and I'm proud to have written something like that. I hope I shall never have to write that kind of thing ever again. Ugh, the things I do to make this story longer…**


	5. Neverending Dreams

I said this would be two chapters, but it turned out that it would last for three. If you were only expecting two before I go on to the finale, then too bad. You people should learn not to take me seriously.

**Disclaimer****: Nintendo owns Zelda. Not the princess, but the games. Which actually means they own the princess too.**

* * *

Tetra spent the next few days with Clarisse, unable to think of about anything but her mother. She paid almost no attention to her pirate crew, because to her they were only the background to the picture of her mother. However, something was nibbling at the back of Tetra's mind, something she knew was important, but she thought it could wait for now. All Tetra wanted now was to regain the years she lost with Clarisse.

They stopped at Windfall Island to stock up on food and weapons. Their pirate ship was hidden in the not-so-inconspicuous cove near the beach. "Alright you scallywags," Clarisse said to the pirates on board, "Tetra and I will go on shore and stock up, the rest of you clean up the ship and start cooking for dinner!."

"Aye, aye, Miss!" the crew chorused.

Clarisse smiled. "And Niko, don't turn the hold into another one of your games, okay?"

"Y-yes Miss Clarisse," Niko stuttered.

Clarisse and Tetra stepped off the ship. "You know, mother," Tetra said as they stepped on shore, "Niko will probably turn the hold into a game anyways."

"I know," Clarisse responded, "But I always feel like I have to say something."

"I feel the same way," Tetra said, "I remember when Niko spent a whole week making a game in the hold after you-" Tetra stopped.

"After I what sweetheart?"

Tetra shook her head. "It's nothing," she said quietly, "Just-just something that happened before." A tear sparkled in her eyes.

"Tetra? Are you okay?" Clarisse asked, "Are you crying over something?"

Tetra wiped the tear out of her eyes. "N-no, something just flew into my eye is all."

"Well, if you say you're okay then." Clarisse took Tetra's hand. "Come on now, we have lots of stuff to stock up on."

"O-okay then." Tetra walked with her mother. _Why'd I have to remember that?_ Tetra thought. _It's been years since I thought about that day. I thought I pushed it out of my head. _She looked at her mother. _But seeing her again, it must've brought those memories back. This day is _exactly_ like that day from before._ She shook her head. _I'm just being paranoid._

While Tetra was thinking these thoughts, a pair of shadows was following her.

--

The days that followed after the kiss were the best Link ever had. Link and Medli spent every second of their time together, along with Aryll, who started following them everywhere they went. Aryll was always asking questions about Medli, where she was from, how she met her brother, and, this question made Link and Medli uncomfortable, if Medli's beak ever poked Link in the eye when they kiss. But whenever they got away from Aryll, for those few precious seconds, they started kissing furiously. When Aryll found them again, they looked like they usually did, though they were usually out of breath.

When the three of them got back to Link's house, they had a feast of soup and pumpkins. Grandma usually looked at Medli and Link suspiciously, as if she knew what they've been doing, but she never asked them about their relationship. That was Aryll's job.

"Link," she asked, "Are you gonna tell me if you kissed her or what!?"

"Aryll," Link said tiredly, "I told you before, you're too young to care about that kind of thing."

"Your brother's right Aryll," Medli added, "It's too early to think about love at your age. You should be thinking that our relationship is icky or something."

"That's what Link thought at my age," Aryll pointed out, "But I'm a girl, so we mature faster than boys!"

"That may be true," Link said, "But _you're_ the little sister. I'm the big brother, and that mean that what _I_ say goes. And _I_ say that you're too young to think about love."

"I don't _have_ to listen to you!" Aryll cried, "Grandma, I don't have to listen to Link, do I?"

Grandma shrugged. "I agree with Link, you're much to young to have a relationship."

Aryll pouted. "No fair."

Medli smiled. "Don't worry, Aryll. One day you'll find a boy you'll really like, then you can complain to him!"

"You're right… Wait. What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Nothing," Medli said innocently.

"You meant something by that!" Aryll accused.

Medli finished her food. "Thank you, it was a wonderful meal."

"You're welcome, dearie." Grandma replied.

Medli walked out of the house.

"Hey!" Aryll called after her, "Wait! You didn't answer me!"

"I think I'll see what Medli's doing." Link said. He quickly drank the rest of the soup. "Thank you, Grandma."

"You're welcome, come back before nightfall though."

Link followed Medli.

"Wait!" Aryll cried, "Don't just leave me here!" Aryll got up to leave.

"Hold on, Aryll," Grandma said, "You're not going anywhere until you finish the rest of your pumpkins."

"But _Grandma_!"

"No buts, Aryll." Grandma said sternly. "Finish your pumpkins."

Aryll pouted and continued eating her pumpkins.

--

Medli was sitting on the docks, playing on her harp while watching the horizon. Link heard the song as soon as he stepped out of the house. The song he heard from the harp was beautiful but melancholy, like it contained the sadness of a thousand years in its notes. Link walked up behind Medli, just watching her play.

"That's a beautiful song," Link said softly when she was finished playing. He sat down beside her. "Where did you learn it?"

Medli shrugged. "It was just a song that I picked up during my travels."

"Can you play it again?" Link asked.

"Sure." Medli strummed on her harp. Link closed his eyes and let the music wash upon him. The melody cast a spell on him, a spell that only the most beautiful of songs could cast upon an individual. Within the music Link felt a sense of belonging, like a spirit was calling to him. He pictured scenes of nature in the song, cuccos crowing, wind blowing, flowers blooming. He could see a waterfall and a volcano. But most of all, he could sense the everlasting hold of time watching its work grow and prosper. By the time Medli was finished, Link's eyes were watering.

"What's that song called?" Link asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if I remember the name properly, but the person who taught me this song said it was a song passed down by the goddesses themselves. That it was a song of great power." She hesitated. "He said the name of the song was 'Eternity's Lyre.'"

"That name fits." Link said. "As you were playing it, I felt the sadness of eternity wash over me. It was like I was there and I was not there. I was in light, and I was in shadow." Link hesitated for a second. "I also felt the end of time, forsaken spirits calling out to me." Link smiled. "But it was just a song, right?"

Medli nodded. "Yeah, only a song." She held Link's hand. "Link, you're happy, right?"

"What kind of question is that?" Link asked softly. "Of course I'm happy, I have you."

"So, if something were to happen, you wouldn't leave me, right?"

"Of course I wouldn't leave you, I love you." He laid a kiss on her cheek. "Besides, what could happen?"

Medli smiled. "I don't know, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't ever leave me…"

Medli caressed Link's face, closed her eyes, and leaned towards him. Link did the same, and they kissed. The kiss they shared that time was different. It was softer, more romantic. There was no need for them to squeeze as much as they could in a few seconds, they had all the time in the world. Link could picture them together for ages, growing older together, their love only growing stronger. Then strangely, a green light engulfed his vision. Slowly, Link pulled away from the kiss, wondering what the green light was. Medli was looking at him, curious as to why Link pulled away.

"Link? Are you okay?" Medli asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Link answered, "Just had a small headache."

"If you'd like, we could go back to your house." Medli said worriedly.

Link shook his head. "That's okay, the headache passed."

"Good," Medli pulled Link back into the kiss.

_What am I feeling all of a sudden? _Link thought to himself._ Why do I feel like this shouldn't be happening? I'm happy, right? But if this is what happiness feels like, why do I feel so alone?_

--

Tetra and Clarisse were greeted joyfully as they stepped onto the ship. The pirate crew quickly took their bags and went below deck to store the goods, leaving Tetra and Clarisse alone.

"Tetra, dear?" Clarisse said worriedly. "Are you okay? You've been so quiet all day. You're not usually like this."

"I'm just thinking, mother." Tetra said, "I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor, honey?" Clarisse said, "It's no problem if we stay close to land for a few days."

"I said I'm _fine_ mom!" Tetra said angrily.

"Oh, okay then. I'll just leave you alone then." Clarisse started walking away.

"No, wait," Tetra said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"That's okay," Clarisse pulled Tetra into a hug. "You know you could always tell me anything, right?"

Tetra stiffened. _Those were the words she said before she…_ Tetra quickly ran to the side of the ship and threw up.

"Tetra? Are you okay?" Tetra looked around and put a look of horror on her face. "Tetra?" Clarisse said. Behind Clarisse was a shadow about to strike her.

"Mother!" Tetra shrieked. "No!" Tetra grabbed a nearby sword and ran toward the shadow.

Clarisse turned around and saw the shadow. Clarisse let out a scream as the shadow's blade fell. But before the blade hit Clarisse, Tetra stabbed through the shadow. "Not again." Tetra said. "I won't let her die again!" The shadow fell, and Tetra threw the sword behind her. Tetra turned around. "Mother," she said, "I did it, I saved y-" The other shadow came from behind Tetra and brought down its blade.

"Tetra no!" Clarisse ran to Tetra and threw her to the side, and took the shadow's blade as punishment.

"Mom!" Tetra screamed as her mother's blood spilled on the ground.

"Don't worry about me, Tetra," Clarisse said weakly. "I'll protect you." Clarisse grabbed Tetra's sword and stabbed herself with it, the blade going through her and the shadow. "Die you bastard." The shadow fell to the ground, dead, and Clarisse fell with it.

Tetra ran to Clarisse's side. "Mother, please don't die."

Clarisse coughed up some blood and took a necklace out of her blouse. "T-take this," Clarisse said to Tetra, "Take this, and keep it safe."

Tetra took the Triforce of Wisdom and stuffed it in her pocket. "I will mother, don't worry."

"Keep…it…sa…f…e…"

A flash of blue light, and Tetra woke up. She was in her quarters in the ship, her mother taking her temperature. "Tetra?" Clarisse said, "Are you okay?"

Tetra looked at her mother incredulously. "What happened?"

"You collapsed while we were walking," Clarisse said, "But I think you're okay now."

"That's good," Tetra responded distantly._ That dream,_ Tetra thought, _I can't believe I had that dream again. It's been six years since I had that dream, since it happened._ She looked at Clarisse who was looking at her temperature. _Since she died._ Suddenly, Tetra knew that this wasn't real, that the woman sitting in front of her wasn't her real mother. She knew that she had a job to do, that she shouldn't be wasting her time on pointless dreams, no matter how good they may seem. And with a hint of fear, she knew what she had to do to break free of her dream.

* * *

**Long chapter. Anyways, the shadow that attacked Tetra and Clarisse was NOT Shadowlink. Got it? And I added a subtle cliffhanger, what will Tetra do next? Find out whenever the hell I post the next chapter. And did anyone notice the mention of my DeviantART account?**


	6. Breakaway

This chapter ends the fantasies arc. I will warn you now, this chapter has some slight lemon. Very slight. But if you absolutely despise lemons, close this window now. Lemons. I warned you.

**Disclaimer****: Blah, blah, blah. Nintendo blah owns blah Zelda blah.**

* * *

Tetra couldn't sleep that night. She spent all night tossing and turning, hoping that there was possibly another way to break free of her dream, then she just decided to sleep on it. But, then again, how could you really sleep in a dream? Tetra got up and sighed. She knew what had to be done, and she knew that it had to be done soon. But the very thought of what she planned to do sickened her, she couldn't bear to go through with it. But she had to.

She slowly took off her nightgown and put her regular clothes back on, wondering if this would be the last time she'll wear her pirate clothes again, and grabbed her sword. She took a deep breath, and went above deck.

The night sky was comforting, the moon shining down on Tetra. There were barely any clouds in the sky, and the only light that could be seen was the gentle light of the moon and stars. Tetra breathed in the fresh night air, savoring the taste. But she knew that it would all be over soon, that it was all a dream. A good dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Tetra sighed and leaned over the rails, just to see her reflection. She missed the sight of her own face, with no girly frills. She touched her face, feeling the roughness of her skin. She'll miss that when her face became smooth and perfect. Tetra shook her head trying to shake her thoughts, as it would only make her mission harder. She sat down on the rail, and waited.

Tetra didn't have to wait long, as her mother walked on deck in a few minutes. Tetra watched Clarisse stare at the stars for a moment, then spoke up. "Hello, mother," she said quietly.

Clarisse turned around, startled, but relaxed when she saw that it was only Tetra. "Oh, hello Tetra." She replied, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Tetra said softly.

Clarisse laughed. "That's true. I'm up here to look at the stars, they always calm a person down don't you think?"

"Not tonight," Tetra muttered. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Tetra dear?" Clarisse said worriedly, "Are you okay? Your eyes are watering."

"No, mother, I'm not okay." The tears were streaming down her face.

"What's the problem Tetra?"

"My problem," she hesitated. "My problem is you."

"Me?" Clarisse said incredulously "Why would I be giving you a problem, dear?"

"Don't call me dear," Tetra whispered, "You're only making it harder for me."

"Harder for you to do what?" Clarisse asked.

"This." Tetra unsheathed her sword.

"What are you doing with that? Isn't it a little late to practice your sword fighting?"

"This isn't for sword fighting," Tetra's voice shook. "It's for…for killing you!"

"What?" Clarisse said, shocked, "Are you sure you're not sick Tetra? That you have some kind of autumnal fever?"

"Shut up!" Tetra said fiercely, "Just shut up! You're not real, none of this is. You're just an illusion, a fake, my mother is dead, _dead_."

"Tetra," Clarisse mumbled, her eyes watering, "How could you say that? After all I've given you, all I've sacrificed for you, you're just gonna call me a fake and kill me?"

"Stop it," Tetra demanded, "Stop trying to mess with my head!"

"But Tetra," Clarisse pleaded, "I'm your mother. You can't kill your own mother, it's wrong."

"You're not one to tell me what's right and what's wrong, you're only an illusion!"

Clarisse kissed Tetra on the forehead. "Tetra, could an illusion do that? Could an illusion spend thirteen years of her life raising you?" Tetra's grip on her sword loosened. "See Tetra? Don't you see how much I love you? How much I care about you?" Tetra bit her lip. "I know that deep down inside, you know that this is real, that I'm not just some kind of illusion or dream. That I'm your mother, and I care about you. Now put away your sword, you won't need it." Tetra obeyed. "That's a good girl. Now we can just go back to sleep and pretend that this never happened. Okay?" Clarisse gave Tetra a tight hug. "And in the morning, we can finally cure that sickness you have."

Tetra didn't say anything. She just stared at the shape glowing on the back of her left hand. "I'm sorry mother." Tetra took her sword and stabbed Clarisse straight through the heart. Blood spurted everywhere, drenching Tetra in her mother's blood. Clarisse looked at Tetra with a horrible expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," Tetra said again, tears overflowing in her eyes, "But even though you're the closest thing I've ever gotten to seeing my mother again, I know that you're not her. I can't live a life of lies while my friends are in danger, I can't just sit back and let Shadow kill everybody. I hope you understand."

Slowly, Clarisse's corpse faded away, the ship sinking into nothingness. Only whiteness existed around Tetra now. Tetra's body slowly changed, her pirate attire melting away into a dress. Tetra faded away, and Zelda took her place.

"I don't understand," a female voice said, "Why you wouldn't want to be happy."

But before Zelda could respond to the voice, she was swept back into reality.

Zelda awoke on the King of Red Lions, surrounded by a thick fog. As consciousness returned to her, she noticed that Nayru's pearl was shining light on her, before the light faded away. "W-what's going on?" Zelda said drowsily.

"Ah!" King exclaimed, "I'm glad to see that you've broken free, princess!"

Zelda was too tired to be annoyed at being called princess, so she asked another question instead. "What's with all the fog?

"I don't know," King answered, "But the ocean around us was red until you returned to reality."

Zelda noticed Link. Farore's pearl was shining brightly on him. Suddenly, a foreboding thought crept up on Zelda. "Um, is Link trapped in a dream like I was?"

The King of Red Lions nodded, "Yes, but I'm afraid it'll be much harder for him to break free."

--

The loneliness that crept up on Link on the beach faded away slowly, along with Aryll's attempts to follow him and Medli everywhere. Aryll seemed to have gotten tired of waiting for something to happen between Link and Medli and contented herself to staying on her lookout, her gaze following Link and Medli with her telescope. Though they sometimes disappeared behind a thick clump of bushes, only to come out a few moments later with pleased looks on their faces.

Link and Medli were inseparable. They always stayed together while exploring the island, and they split the amount of rupees they found in half. Once they explored every inch of the lower island, they decided to explore the forest.

The forest was what Link expected it to be, a tangled beauty of trees and nature. Link knew that Aryll couldn't see them up here as the trees blocked her view, and Aryll was too afraid to cross the wobbly bridge by herself. So instead of directly going into furious kissing, Link decided to reminisce about the times in the forest.

"Have you ever seen so many trees before Medli?" Link asked.

"No," Medli answered, "You already know that Dragon Roost doesn't have any forests. Why? Have you seen a bigger forest?"

"Why yes, I have," Link said, "Forest Have had these huge trees. They were ten times larger that these ones. I remember when the Koroks-" Link stopped.

"What about the Koroks?" Medli asked.

"Nothing, it wasn't anything important." Link said hurriedly. "You know I met Quill for the first time here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, it wasn't exactly _here_, I met Tetra here. I was really surprised to find out that Tetra was really Zel-" He stopped again.

"That Tetra what?" Medli inquired.

"Nothing." Link answered.

"Is there something wrong, Link?" Medli asked.

"No, it's just," Link hesitated, "You ever had a memory that you couldn't quite remember? Like you thought you had it one second and you lose it the next?"

"Not really, why?"

"I don't know." Link admitted, "But it feels like I'm forgetting something, that I shouldn't be here right now."

"Don't you want to be here? With me?"

"Of course I do," Link said, "But there's something buried in my memories that I need to remember."

"Can't you just make new ones?" Medli asked.

"What?"

"You know, new memories? Like if you forget something, you can replace it with new memories, better ones. You don't have to dwell on the past, you only have to think about the present. That's the beauty of being alive."

"Yeah, but," Link started, "But what kind of memories can replace what I'm missing?"

"I could give you one." Medli said quietly. She leaned toward Link and kissed him passionately. Link kissed her back. It wasn't any different than the other ones, until Medli pulled Link's floppy green hat off.

"What did you do that for?" Link asked.

"No reason." Medli said as she undid her hair. Link was wondering why she did that when she pulled him back into the kiss. Link ran his fingers through her hair, marveling at how soft it was. Medli ran one of her hands through Link's hair also. Link broke the kiss, gasping for air, but Medli kept kissing him, not on the lips, but on the neck. Link was curious as to exactly where this was going, then learned with a strange horror when she started unfastening her robe.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Link stuttered.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Medli asked playfully, "I'm taking off my clothes."

"But why?"

"Why else do girls take off their clothes in front of guys?"

"Um, because it's too hot or something?" Link said nervously.

"That's not the reason, silly." Medli put her mouth close to his ear, whispered what she was doing, the licked his ear once, softly.

Link flinched. "B-but aren't we a little, I dunno, _young _to be doing this?"

Medli laughed. "No time like the present. Besides, if we don't do this now, I might lose the nerve to do this later."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Not to me it isn't." Medli said quietly. She leaned in towards Link and started taking off _his_ clothes. Link tensed like he wanted to run away, but Medli held him there. "Please?" she whispered, "For me?" Link didn't know what to do. He knew this was wrong, that he shouldn't be doing this, but some part of him screamed that he wanted this to happen. Link wanted to tell that part to shut up, but it would be strange to talk to himself like that. Slowly, he relaxed and let Medli do what she wanted to do. "Excellent," Medli said as she took Link's sword and shield off.

Medli unfastened the outermost layer of Link's clothing, letting it fall to the forest floor. Her hands tickled his neck as she draped them onto it, pulling him into an even deeper kiss. Feeling helpless, Link kissed her back, still having a silent debate within his mind. Medli slowly eased off on the kiss, tracing the corners of Link's lips with her tongue, then kissed his cheeks, eyes, and ears. It was when she started nibbling on Link's ear when the battle in his mind ended, and a single rational thought entered his head.

_This girl isn't Medli._

"You're not Medli." Link said quietly in her ear.

Medli stopped biting his ear. "What?"

"You're not Medli." Link said, stronger this time. "I don't know who or what you are, but I know you're not Medli."

"How can you say that?" Medli asked.

"Because the Medli I knew, the Medli I love, is not you. The Medli I knew was always shy, always having a hard time voicing her opinion. She always thought carefully about her decisions, and she wouldn't have started doing this until she knew she was completely ready. And if she knew I wasn't sure, she wouldn't pressure me into doing this. I'm completely sure when I say this, that you're not Medli."

Medli glared fiercely in Link's eyes. "You little bastard." The forest and Medli melted away, leaving Link alone. He was back to normal, all of his thing back where it was supposed to be, when a young woman appeared in front of him.

"I don't understand." The woman said, "How you and that girl could not be happy in your dreams."

"Because it was a dream," Link told her, "It wasn't real. No matter how good it may seem, a dream is still only a dream, it can't beat reality."

"But reality is so much harsher," she said, "I've seen into your memories, I know the hardships you face, the friends you have lost. I don't know why you can't just give it all up and live in your dream world."

"Dreams are nice," Link said, "But it doesn't replace my responsibilities. Even though some of my friends are dead, I still have friends that are alive, that I need to protect." Link hesitated. "And Medli is still alive, waiting to be saved."

The figure smiled. "Just the answer I expected from the Hero of Winds." She waved a hand and a portal opened. "If you want to go back to your reality, I won't stop you. In fact, to make up for the time you lost, I'll let you depart near the place you are going."

"Where I'm going?" Link asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

The woman started to fade away. "Good luck, young hero…"

"Wait!" Link cried, "Could you at least tell me who you are?"

"I am Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit…"

--

Link woke up to see a bunch of fog, and Zelda's face staring at him. Link gave a cry of surprise, then calmed down.

"It's good to see you're finally awake, Link." Zelda said, we've been waiting for a while now."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"It's been three days since you fell asleep," King answered.

"What!" Link shouted, "Three days! Who knows what Shadow could've done in that amount of time!?"

"I think I have an idea." Zelda said quietly as the fog cleared.

Link could see Outset Island through the remainder of the fog, and the bodies of its residents lying on the beach.

* * *

**Very long chapter right here. The longest chapter I've ever done. Anyways, I hope I am completely finished with the romance now, because it's making me sick. Honestly, it is. Anyways, leave a review, because I love reviews, and if you don't review an evil non-reviewer demon will throw monkey things at you.**


	7. Blood, Death, and Tears

**This was a hard chapter for me to do. Why? Because I forgot who the Outset Islander's names were and which houses they lived in. On top of a mild case of writer's block and my laziness to research their names, it makes this chapter hard. And the computer lost the last 400-700 words so I had to rewrite them. So take pity on me and review this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: No Zelda owning for me.**

* * *

Link sailed the King of Red Lions to Outset's shore, where the sand was stained red with drying blood. He got off slowly, ignoring Zelda's words about telling him to be careful. She didn't matter anymore. All that existed for Link was the dead lying before him, the people he knew as a child. He shuffled his feet through the sand, identifying the bodies lying in the sandy shores. There was the woman who carried pots on her head around the island, her head smashed open by a pot. There was the woman who owned the giant pig, speared through the stomach with her pet's tusks. Her husband lay next to her, loosely grasping a wooden stick as if he was trying to defend himself.

Link continued walking past the beach, into Orca's house. Inside was Orca and his brother, pinned against the wall. Link yanked out the spear that kept Orca there, and stared at his body blankly. _How could they all be dead?_ Link asked himself. _It doesn't seem real, that_ _they could die. It always seemed that they would be waiting here, waiting for me to come back._ Tears started to cloud Link's eyes. He wiped them away quickly. _I _won't_ cry, I _can't _cry. I need to find Shadow and pay him back for what he's done._ He felt someone touch his shoulder.

"You know, Link," Zelda said quietly, "You can't just run off the boat like that, you don't know what might've been waiting here for you."

"I don't care," Link replied, "If Shadow killed everyone here, I'd welcome an encounter with him. I want to hurt him for this, for ending all of my friend's lives."

"Don't say that." Zelda told him, "We both know that we're missing the one thing that can stop Shadow. If he was waiting for you, I don't think you'd be able to take him. And he didn't kill all your friends, you still have me."

"But that doesn't excuse the things he did."

"I know, but you didn't see everyone's corpses on the beach, you're grandma wasn't there!"

"Grandma…" Link's eyes widened and he quickly ran out of Orca's house. He sprinted across the beach and into his house. The first thing he saw was his grandma. The second thing was her blood on the wall. _So little kiddie, _the blood spelled out, _this is your granny eh? She was fun to kill, almost as much fun as killing the rest of these pathetic islanders. I hope you can give me a better challenge next time we meet. I'll be waiting over at…well, I'll let you search the island until you found the other message I left you. I'll give you a hint, it's gross, small, and in a treasure chest. Gewd luck! Love from your shadow._

Link fell to the ground, his fists clenched in rage. "Damn him," he muttered angrily, "When I find him, I'm gonna, gonna…" his voice trailed off.

"Link? Is everything ok-" Zelda stopped as she saw the body. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Link whispered, "Just-just help me find Shadow, so I can stop him."

Zelda nodded and helped him up. "You know, Link," Zelda said, "You're not alone. You don't have to rush into everything by yourself. I'm not like some frilly princess that needs to be rescued like in the old legends, I'm still a fearsome pirate captain, even though I don't look the part."

"I know," Link replied, "But I just feel like I have to do things myself, so if I make a stupid mistake, I won't endanger anyone else with it."

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" Zelda said patronizingly, "I'm _not_ a princess waiting to be rescued. I'm a fighter, just like you."

"Yeah… Hey, we should find the message Shadow left on the island. If we're lucky, it might actually lead us to him."

"Yeah, if we're lucky." Zelda folded her arms together. "Hm, what's small and gross?"

"A snail?" Link suggested.

"No, you can't write a message on a snail. Link, is there a treasure chest on this island?"

"I don't think so," Link answered, "But there was always this small chest in one of the house's that hides one of the family's savings in it."

"And how did you know that?" Zelda asked suspiciously.

"Um, I sort of…borrowed it for my journey." Link said meekly. "But we're wasting time! We need to get to that treasure chest!"

Link ran out before Zelda gave him one of her 'Link you idiot' looks. Zelda sighed and ran after him.

Link and Zelda entered one of the huts and was welcomed with a gruesome sight. Strung up on the wall was one of the children who idolized Link, the child who wanted to be able to jump just like him. Link felt sick. What Shadow did to him was so horrifying that he threw up. The room he was in was soaked to the ground with the child's blood, traces of magical torture engrained within the body.

"How horrible…" Zelda commented. "It appeared that Shadow used his magic to keep the kid alive until the last second. Look at those cuts on his body…"

"I don't want to look." Link coughed out. "I want to know how somebody who used to be the Hero of Time could be so…so…"

"Brutal?" Zelda finished.

"Cruel was the word I was looking for." Link pulled the body off the wall and laid it on the floor. He put a nearby sheet on top of him. "I can't believe somebody can do that kind of thing to a kid."

"We're kids," Zelda pointed out, "But that doesn't make any difference. We still have to fight this battle, and save the Great Sea. Now where's that treasure chest?"

"Over here." Link walked over toward one of the beds and moved one of the bloody pillows covering it. He crouched down and went under the bed.

"We have to crawl through the blood?" Zelda complained as she followed Link. The other side of the room was a lot cleaner than the entrance. The only thing that could be found in the room was a lone treasure chest in the center of the room. Link walked over to it and unlatched the locks. He opened it…

…and there was nothing inside.

"This is it?" Zelda said angrily. "Shadow killed all these people and told us to look here just to give us nothing? Did he just do all of this for-for entertainment?"

"It would be just like him." Link answered bitterly. "Come on, we won't gain anything by just standing here." Link walked back over to the hole in the wall.

Zelda grabbed Link. "Wait, there might be something that we're missing."

"Like what?" Link asked.

Zelda gestured towards the ceiling. "Look." Suspended above the ground was a feather, hanging from the ceiling with one long strand of auburn hair. "What do you think that means?" Zelda asked.

Link fell to the ground. "M-Medli." Link stuttered. "She left this message."

"Medli?" Zelda said incredulously. "That's stupid. She's dead, remember?"

Link shook his head. "No, Medli left this feather."

"How could that be possible?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know," Link admitted, "But I'm sure this is hers."

Zelda put her head in her hands. "How? How can you be sure?"

"Because I saw her!" Link exclaimed, "I saw her at Forest Haven, during the fire."

Zelda sighed, "Why couldn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Why? What difference does it make is I told you before or now?"

"It makes a big difference," Zelda said, "Because if you told me earlier, maybe you wouldn't have been stuck in your little dream world as long as you were. And maybe we could've gotten here soon enough to stop Shadow from slaughtering the villagers."

"What does me telling you Medli's alive have to do with anything?" Link asked forcefully.

"Because if you told me then maybe you wouldn't have been as lovey-dovey as you were in your dream!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! You were talking in your sleep! 'Oh Medli, Aryll's gone, why don't we hide behind some bushes and make-out like a couple of complete idiots!'"

"I never said that!" Lind protested.

"But that's what you were doing, hiding behind stuff and making out with your little bird friend."

"She's not a bird! She's a Rito, there's a big difference!"

"Whatever," Zelda replied, "The point is, if you told me _before_ we got sucked into a dream world then I could've told you that Medli's working with Shadow!"

"What?" Link said incredulously, "She's not working with Shadow."

"Are you _blind_!?" Zelda shouted, "If she wasn't working with him she'd be dead by now! And I'm pretty sure she's the one who shot those arrows at us."

"But why would she work with Shadow?" Link asked.

"Why would she do anything?" Zelda responded, "Look, all I know is that _someone _shot us at Forest Haven, _someone _should have been killed earlier, and _someone_ kept you from waking up sooner!"

"Shut up!" Link shouted, tears streaming out of his eyes, "Shut up about her! You don't know a thing about Medli! She can't be working with Shadow…I won't accept that!"

Zelda shook her head. "Listen, Link. I know we're friends, but if you can't accept the truth if the time comes and you end up defending Medli, and therefore defending Shadow, I won't hesitate to kill you." She wiped her eyes. "So _please_ accept the truth." Zelda crawled out. "Before it's too late," she added quietly.

--

The King of Red Lions was waiting by the shore when Zelda and Link got back. Link's eyes were downcast and Zelda was avoiding looking at Link.

"Is there anything wrong?" King asked them.

"Other than the fact that everyone on this island is dead, we're fine and dandy." Zelda replied bitterly.

"So, did you find Shadow?" King said, ignoring Zelda's sarcasm.

"No," Link answered, "He wasn't here."

"I see…"

"There's no point in staying here," Zelda said, "So let's go already."

"Actually, there is a point in staying here." King gestured behind Link and Zelda."

"Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkk!!"

"Big Brothhhhhheeeeerrrrrrrrrr!!"

* * *

**I don't know whether this chapter was supposed to be horrendously depressing or only slightly depressing, so I compromised and added a few funny lines. Please forgive me for going out of context.**


	8. Famous Last Words

**ZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZillZill…ZILL**

**YESSSSSSSSS!! I have finally discovered the name of that thrice-accursed snot-nosed kid! Yes, so the reason this story has bees on hiatus for so long was because…well, it's mostly because I'm extremely lazy in updating this (not to mention a certain fic by the name of Twi…never mind), but also the fact I had no idea what to call lil' snot-nose.**

**So for the countless followers who follow this (the total list comes to 0.5) I update!**

* * *

_The darkness closed in on the fragment of the hero's spirit. The fragment struggled against the unceasing waves of darkness, but it was losing the will to carry on. "What was the point?" the fragment thought. But even though the fragment believed that struggling against the darkness was futile, it continued to fight. The light emitting from the fragment was enough to cast a shadow in the never-ending darkness, enough to keep the spirit safe for a time. Days, months, years, millennia…they passed uneventfully throughout the fragment's lifespan. It thought it could hold out for eternity, that it would never be swayed by darkness's lure. After all, what troubles could befall a hero?_

_But sadly, eternity came too soon for the spirit, as its barrier of light corroded enough to let the voice of darkness slip in. Enough for the voice to whisper the words the fragment pushed deep down into its heart, the words that would forever transform the fragment into a beast of the dark. The darkness spoke of how the goddesses have forsaken the fragment, of how after felling the dark beast Ganon and bringing Hyrule back to light the goddesses condemned the fragment to a life of darkness. The fragment tried his best to keep the darkness from corrupting its essence, and it seemed that it might hold out, until the darkness whispered the horrible truth of the fragment's situation._

_The fragment would never see its friends again. No more Zelda, no more Malon, no more Ruto or Mido._

_No more Saria._

_With the fragment's contempt for the goddesses growing, the fragment began to fear for the outside world's existence. With its power and the power of darkness combined, whatever of Hyrule that still existed would be in grave danger from its might. Before it was completely corrupted by darkness, the fragment used up whatever power from the Triforce that was left within it, and bound its essence with chains, putting itself in a comatose state that would last forever._

_But like eternity, forever also came to an end._

--

Shadow woke up from his sleep. He groggily got up from the ground and was curious as to where Medli was. Ever since he killed, no slaughtered seemed more appropriate. Ever since he _slaughtered_ the population of Outset, Medli disappeared at random intervals of time. Of course, what she thought of him didn't matter to him anyway. To him, she was just a pawn in his game for revenge, an empty shell he can fill with whatever he wanted. Besides, he only kept her alive because her inner conflict between her memories, wishes, and desires was the perfect mix of light and darkness he needed to open the path to the goddesses. The death of Komali weighed heavily on the girl's conscience, well, what was left of her conscience anyway. Shadow laughed at the memory of her trying to stop him from killing the Koroks and the Outsetters, like she could stop him.

If her balance wasn't necessary, he would've forced her to off those islanders just to see her suffer. But if he did that, the balance within her would shift too much towards either side. Shadow was lucky, finding a pawn that was so emotionally unstable. In his game, she was the pawn, and he was the queen. Why the queen? Obviously because the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. The goddesses were the kings he must topple to win his game, and the two bearers of the Triforce were the knights defending the king. The queen on the other side was obviously the King of Red Lions, since he was his biggest hindrance.

But as Shadow was thinking about his chess analogy, he started to wonder who the king he had to protect was. What could be the one piece of the game that would ruin his plans if it was taken down? He couldn't think of anything that could be powerful or important enough that would force him to lose. After all, the only thing he had to protect was himself.

So for the time being, Shadow was both the queen and the king.

The other pieces of the board were unimportant to him.

--

Night fell on Outset Island. The gibbous moon shone down from the heavens, as if lamenting over the deaths of the islanders. Numerous caskets were drifting on the currents of the Great Sea, the spirits resting within looking for solstice. The caskets weren't very well made, consisting of odds and ends of various woods, but it was all that could be found to send off the dead.

On the shores of the island smoke was rising from the beach. A small group of people were huddled around a small fire. They were telling each other what happened to them, as their paths finally crossed over many weeks. As soon as the most elegantly dressed of the group finished telling her side of the story, the King of Red Lions spoke to the group.

"Now that Aryll and Zill have been filled in on our story," Kind said, "Perhaps it is time for young Zill to inform us about what happened on this island."

Zill quickly stood up, a trail of snot following close behind. "Well, um, I didn't exactly see any of it. My mommy told me to go up the hill and into the forest, which I mostly did, but I was scared of the forest and his in a bush instead. Then this scary looking guy came up to me and said some big words to me, which I didn't really understand."

"By any chance, did this guy look like me, only taller and darker?" Link asked.

Zill shook his head up and down. "Uh-hum! There was also this funny looking girl with him."

"That would be Link's girlfriend. "Zelda commented.

Link opened his mouth as to say something, but quickly closed it and looked away. Zelda shot Link a disgusted look, then turned back to Zill. "Go on, keep talking."

"Mmkay then. Then the shadowy guy told me to tell you that he's waiting where the goddesses rest. Though I don't believe him because goddesses don't rest, right?"

"'Where the goddesses rest'…" Zelda muttered. "What do you think, King?"

The King shrugged, or came as close to shrugging as a boat can get. "I do not know where the goddesses rest. It is not something we on the mortal plane usually know."

"As helpful as always…" Zelda muttered.

"But let's see what young Aryll has to say." King continued, "She's been sitting here listening to us prattle on about our lives, now it's time for us to listen to her."

Aryll looked up at the sound of her name. "Oh, is it my turn now?"

"Go ahead," King told her, "You have our ears."

Aryll took a deep breath. "Well, nothing very interesting happened on my part. That Rito girl, Medli, took me to an island and told me to stay there. I did, and then this other Rito washed up on shore. He looked very worn out and he was clutching this big orb thing. He told me his name was Komali and we talked and became good friends. Then he gave me the orb thing and told me to give it to you guys, because he had to stay with Medli. Then I hitched a ride on a merchant ship, went to Outset, found Zill, and then found you!" She smiled. "And that's what happened to me while I was away."

"Was that…really what happened?" Link asked her with a concerned look.

Aryll smiled again. "Yup, every word of it was true. And to prove it, I have that orb thing!" Aryll reached into her pack and brought out Din's Pearl.

Link stood up and brought out Farore's and Nayru's pearls. "Well, since we have all three pearls now, we can make that sword and follow Shadow." He unsheathed his sword. "Now hurry up and make that sword King."

King shook his head. "The ceremony to forge the blade can only be carried out at dawn. We must wait for night to pass before we can start."

"Oh…well, I guess I'll be over there," Link said gesturing at no specific direction. "I'll be…practicing with my sword."

Aryll grabbed Link's arm. "Big brother? Are you okay?"

Link gave her a half-hearted smile. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…" Aryll hesitated. "No reason, I just thought I should ask."

"Okay then." Link pulled away from her. "I'll just be over there if you need me."

"Oh…have fun then…big brother…" She turned away from Link. "Come to think of it, I think I forgot something somewhere on the island." She picked up her bag. "I guess I'll see you guys later." She walked away.

King sighed. "Well, I guess it's just us three then."

"Pass." Zelda said, "I'm gonna keep Aryll company."

"If you must, princess…"

The "princess" whacked the King. "You mean Tetra, right?" She went to join Aryll.

"I guess we're alone." King looked at Zill, who was staring at him. "Er, young Zill, is there something wrong?"

Zill pointed at him. "I just noticed! You're a talking boat!"

The King of Red Lions sighed.

--

Aryll was on the outlook viewing the stars through her telescope when Zelda climbed up to join her.

"Nice view, huh?" Zelda commented.

Aryll glanced at Zelda. "Uh-huh, the view's nicest from up here. No buildings or mountains blocking the way. Just clear skies. Do you want to take a look?"

"Sure." Zelda took the telescope from Aryll.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Aryll asked. "I always like to think that the stars are there to watch over us, that we're never alone. I think I told Komali that, after he asked me if we'll ever see-"

Zelda looked at her. "Ever see what?"

"N-nothing." Aryll said hurriedly. She looked away from Zelda. "Maybe it's time for me to get back to camp. I mean, I know I haven't been gone long but, they might be worrying about me anyways." She took her telescope back. "Well then, I guess I'll be going. Bye!"

"You were lying, weren't you?"

"Eh? N-no! Of course not! Why would I lie about anything?"

Zelda grabbed Aryll's arm and looked her in the eyes. "Tell me the truth."

Aryll's gaze drifted downwards. "Well…yes, I was lying. But I wasn't lying for anything bad I just…" Her voice fell. "I just didn't want my brother to worry. That's all."

Aryll began to pour out her memories about her time with Shadow. She told Zelda everything that happened, about how she and Komali were locked up, the countless hours wondering what was to become of them. She told her about Shadow's cruelty, the sadistic way he did things. She told her about Medli, how she lost her memories. She even told her about the kiss she stole from Komali. She finished by telling her how Komali saved her, but went back to Shadow's ship so Medli won't be punished. When she was finished talking, tears were streaming down her face and Zelda was comforting her.

"I think you should tell Link and the others about this." Zelda said when the tears stopped. "They need to know about all that."

Aryll stared at Zelda. "But Tetra, if Link knows what happened to me he's really going to worry!"

"Then let him worry! Link has to know this, especially if his _girlfriend's_ involved." Zelda spat out bitterly.

"Why do you keep calling Medli his girlfriend?" Aryll asked. "And in such a mean way, too."

"Because your idiot of a brother loves that idiot of a Rito. And you said it yourself, she's working with Shadow!"

"But not voluntarily!" Aryll defended.

"Voluntarily or not, if Medli gets in the way…" Zelda trailed off. "Besides, I don't see what your idiot brother sees in her anyway. She obviously isn't really that charming. Heck, I know _fish_ that are more charming than her! And don't get me started on how she looks…"

"Tetra? Do you like my brother?"

"Eh? Where did this come from?" Zelda asked, confused. "Well I don't _hate_ him, since I have to deal with him almost 24/7."

"I meant, do you _like_ like him?"

Zelda's face turned red. "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU THINK I LIKED HIM LIKE THAT!?"

"Well," Aryll said shyly, "It just seems like you're a bit jealous of Medli, from the way you were talking about her."

"So? What does that have to do with you asking me if I like him!?"

"Well…" Aryll started. "You're face turned red when I asked."

"S-so? It just means I'm pissed for being asked something like that! Besides, there's no reason why I'd like your brother. He's not even my type. For one, he always has this stupid way of showing off an item he finds. And he always wears that stupid tunic that makes you feel hot just by looking at it. Not to mention the way he falls flat on his face while walking, and that annoying look on his face when he's trying to protect you." Her voice became softer. "He always runs in to save people he…doesn't even know. And he always ends up making me laugh at him." A drop of water fell to the floor. "And even after all those stupid things he does, I always tell myself that…" More tears fell to the floor.

"That I'm not in love, that I'd never fall for a guy like him."

Aryll took Zelda in her arms. "It's okay to feel that way, Tetra."

"I know, but…" She wiped her eyes. "If you ever tell anyone I cried like that, I'm going to punch your brother's face in."

Aryll laughed. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She picked up her stuff. "Come on, let's go back to camp."

"Let's."

--

"So, the little birdie's finally returned. What took you so long? Moblins steal your wallet or something?"

Medli walked in to the room Shadow was a few hours after she left. She gave Shadow a black look and ignored him.

"Why'd ya have to be like this?" Shadow asked. "All, I did was kill off a few people. No big deal."

Medli ignored him.

"Fine, be that way," Shadow said, "I won't force you to talk to me."

At this Medli spoke up. "Why are you always like that?"

"Like what?" Shadow asked.

"You always contradict yourself. You say you won't force me, but what makes me so special? You didn't give those people you killed a choice. And with Komali…you didn't give me a choice then either!"

"It's not like you listened anyway. I told you to kill him, you said no. I added an 'or else,' you still said no. So I killed him myself."

"No, it didn't happen like that and you know it."

"True, so very true."

"And you didn't give those people on Outset a choice either." Medli pointed out.

"I gave snot-nose a choice. And he probably carried out my message by now. And besides…now that I've had time to think about it, not everyone on that island had to die. See, I can be remorseful sometimes."

"You're lying." Medli said.

"No, I'm not." Medli looked into Shadow's eyes and saw a softness that wasn't there before. "I'm tired of killing."

Medli laughed bitterly. "Not this _again_! You said that exact same thing before Forest Haven. 'I'm tired of killing.' But when you got back from the forest, you said that killing those Koroks was that best thing you've done in years!"

The softness in Shadow's eyes disappeared. "You're right, it was fun. Hearing them scream was the best part. I don't even remember what happened with the last one I killed. I presume he just begged for mercy like the other Koroks."

"Saria."

"What?" Shadow asked.

"Saria." Medli repeated. "I remember you muttering in your sleep about how you miss her."

"I…you're wrong." Shadow said flatly. "I don't know a Saria, and if I did, I wouldn't care about her at all. I'd…I'd just kill her like she was just another person."

"You're lying. You loved Saria, whoever she is."

"Shut up!" Shadow yelled. "Just shut up about Saria! She's nobody to me, _nobody_! And if for one minute you think I care for someone other than myself I'll-"

Medli struck Shadow. "You're a sad person, Shadow."

He felt the spot where she hit him. "Did you just slap me?" He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. "You ungrateful little bitch! I've kept you alive and you _slap_ me!?" He snapped her arm and Medli let out a cry of pain. "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you in such a horrible way that will make you wish you were never born!"

The pain was so great Medli was slipping in and out of consciousness. "Link…" she muttered. "save…me…"

Shadow let go. "L-Link?" He grasped his head. "N-no! I'm not Link anymore! I gave up on that name a long time ago! I'm not…damn it!" Shadow ran out of the room leaving Medli by herself.

_Link…where are you? Wait…who's Link? _Medli tried to move her arm and was rewarded with a sharp burst of pain. _Oh…that's a lot of blood…Hmm, now that I've thought about it, I've been pretty selfish lately. All I've been trying to get are my memories, and now that I feel like dying, who I am doesn't really matter anymore. But I'd like to know one thing…who that boy with the green hat is. Well, whoever he is, I hope he can hear my last selfish request._

_I don't think Shadow is completely evil. It seems like he's been corrupted by something, that the darkness inside of him has taken over. I could see that good part of him when he was thinking about Saria. So please, before I die, I hope you can hear my request._

_Stop Shadow, and save whatever humanity he has left within him._

--

Shadow forced a couple blue potions down Medli's throat. "Stupid girl," he muttered to himself. "Making me lose control like that." Her bleeding began to let up. "At least it looks like she'll still be able to open the door for me." Medli mumbled something. "What did she say?" Shadow leaned in closer to her.

"Who are you…?"

"What the…is she talking to herself?" He put one of his hands to his head. "Damn it…my head's hurting again." _Who are you…?_ A voice echoed inside his head. "Who am I? That's easy. I'm the Hero of…no. I'm…the Destroyer of the Goddesses."

* * *

**Phew, long chapter. Well…I hope everyone understands what was going on. I'll explain if someone's confused. Hopefully everyone won't just think that Shadow's just the evil guy needing to be killed. He has feelings too.**

**I still need to find a point to fit the Ocarina in. Meh, it'll work itself out.**

**For those of you who have read this far…please review!**


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